Best Bet of the week: 2022 Jim Dandy Stakes

Jul 28, 2022 James Scully/TwinSpires.com

Five were entered, but only four are expected to start in
Saturday’s $600,000 Jim Dandy S. (G2) at Saratoga. Three runners in the 1
1/8-mile race own Kentucky Derby experience, including runner-up
Epicenter and third-placer Zandon, and the other, Early Voting, captured the Preakness in
his last outing.

Epicenter, runner-up in the Preakness last time, produced a
dazzling wire-to-wire win in a deep Risen Star (G2) four starts back. And given
he’s drawn inside frontrunning Early Voting in the starting gate, it will be
interesting to see the tactics employed by Joel Rosario aboard the Steve
Asmussen-trained colt. Look for Epicenter to show speed from the break.

Whether showing the way on the front end, or closely
tracking Early Voting, Epicenter should be prominently placed, and Rosario will
seek to save plenty for the latter stages.

Early Voting won his first two starts wire-to-wire,
including the Withers (G3), but jockey Jose Ortiz settled an up-close second in
the Preakness before taking charge on the far turn. He probably doesn’t want to
get caught dueling on the front end Saturday.

Zandon, a rallying winner of the Blue Grass (G1), two back,
will make his first appearance since the Kentucky Derby, and he appears to be
at a tactical disadvantage with his off-the-pace run style. The $1.25 million
Travers S. (G1) on Aug. 27 is the main goal, and Zandon just needs a solid late
showing to set him up for next time.

Tawny Port, a
closing seventh in the Kentucky Derby two back, exits a one-length score in the
June 25 Ohio Derby (G3). That marked the second graded tally for the
late-blooming son of Pioneerof the Nile colt, and while Tawny Port’s
late-running style doesn’t appear favorable here, his progressing form gives
him an outside chance to complete the exacta as the longest shot on the board.
It’s probably best to look for more down the road from the Brad Cox-trained
colt, and Tawny Port can set himself up for the Travers with a solid showing
from off the pace.

Expert Pick of the Week: Epicenter
over Early Voting in a straight exacta (2-4)